Meghan Markle struggling to find CEO for her new venture: Report

Meghan Markle is struggling to find a CEO for her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard. This comes after the 18th staff member quit working for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, according to a report.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, launched her new enterprise earlier this year in March, teasing its launch. However, there was no release date or information on products or when customers could expect the products even after six months.
According to a report by Closer, the delay in the launch of the lifestyle brand is due to the Duchess of Sussex’s trouble hiring a CEO for the company.
“The numbers don’t lie and to have almost 20 members of staff quitting on them tells its own story,” the report cited sources. “It’s unprecedented, even for a startup.”
“The brutal reality is Harry and Meghan are the toughest of taskmasters; they’re very demanding and difficult to work for, and that puts a lot of people’s backs up,” the report added.
Although the brand’s products are not available yet, Meghan Markle sent jars of strawberry jam to a selected group of celebrities in April, highlighting the brand’s strong start.
Additionally, the Duchess of Sussex sent dog biscuits to her celebrity friends and displayed the future launch of her rose wine range. Reports said that Meghan Markle was looking for investors earlier this year.
“I imagine the pop-ups and the seeding, and a series of dinners will continue until some kind of official launch,” Sun newspaper quoted branding strategist Lucie Greene as saying in July.
“It could be that she’s still courting investment. If the brand is direct to consumer versus wholesale, there will need to be a substantial marketing budget for consumer acquisition,” Lucie Green said.
“It’s unclear what leadership she has in place at this point, too,” she went on. “It could be that the jams were the precursor and example to show proof of concept to talent and investors,” she added.